UCAR Sues Trump Administration Over NCAR Dismantling

The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, a nonprofit consortium of 129 universities that manages the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, filed a federal lawsuit Monday accusing the Trump administration of attempting to dismantle the prominent climate and weather research facility as political retribution against the state.

The suit, lodged in U.S. District Court in Colorado, targets the National Science Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of Commerce, the Office of Management and Budget and their directors. It claims the agencies' actions violate federal law, including the Administrative Procedure Act, and infringe on Colorado's constitutional rights to regulate elections and administer criminal justice. UCAR seeks an injunction to halt the dismantling, restore canceled contracts, lift gag orders on employees and end new reporting requirements.

According to the complaint, the moves stem from tensions between President Donald Trump and Colorado officials. The state has maintained its mail-in voting system, which Trump has criticized, and prosecuted former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, a Trump...